what the critics say

Monday, January 31, 2011 - It's fancy, though the food is far less so. It is a reliable solid Italian that has served a particular louche, British public over the years. There is a lunch menu at 19.50 for 3 courses, and from that a starter of hot grilled smoked mozzarella oozing across the plate with a cherry tomato and olive salad and anchovy mayo did not feel like the budget option. That said, crisp curls of deep-fried calamari served in a boat made of greaseproof paper was worth the extra expense. Main-course pasta dishes are huge bowls of carbs, cooked so they still have some bite and give, dressed with lots of the advertised ingredients, be it a dense, gamey ragu of wild boar, hunks of lobster or a scarlet sauce of tomatoes cooked down to their essence.